Network service management method, device, and system

ABSTRACT

A network service management method in which a network management unit obtains information about a target network service, where the information about the target network service includes an identifier of the target network service and requirement information of the target network service. The network management unit obtains an identifier of a network based on the requirement information of the target network service, where the network meets the requirement information of the target network service. The network management unit configures an association relationship between the identifier of the target network service and the identifier of the network, or the network management unit configures the identifier of the target network service in management information of the network, or the network management unit configures the identifier of the network in management information of the network service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2018/115091, filed on Nov. 12, 2018, which claims priority toChinese Patent Application No. 201711140055.2, filed on Nov. 16, 2017.The disclosures of the aforementioned applications are incorporatedherein by reference in these entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of this application relate to the field of communicationstechnologies, and in particular, to a network service management method,device, and system.

BACKGROUND

A most advanced mobile communications technology is used in a 5thgeneration (5G) mobile communications system. The 5G system can providea super-capacity bandwidth rate and more secure communication for amobile user, to meet widely varied service requirements in all walks oflife. In the 5G system, a physical network is sliced into a plurality ofvirtual end-to-end networks using a network slice technology. Eachvirtual network may be referred to as one network slice (NS). Eachnetwork slice is logically independent. Each network slice includes anindependent network function or an independent network function instancecombination. A same network slice may carry services of differenttenants, to meet service requirements and services of the differenttenants. For example, an electricity meter reading service and a watermeter reading service may be carried in one network slice that supportsa meter reading service.

Currently, a service management unit usually aggregates service requestsof different tenants into network slice requirement information, andsends the network slice requirement information to a network managementunit, such that the network management unit deploys, based on thenetwork slice requirement information, a network slice that carriesservices of the different tenants. The network management unit is awareof a service obtained through aggregation by the service managementunit, but cannot be aware of a plurality of services. Therefore, thenetwork management unit cannot dynamically and adaptively adjust anetwork resource based on different service requirements.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of this application provide a network service managementmethod, a device, and a system, to resolve an existing problem that anetwork resource cannot be adaptively and dynamically adjusted based ondifferent service requirements.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the embodiments of this applicationuse the following technical solutions.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment of this application providesa network service management method, including: obtaining, by a networkmanagement unit, information about a target network service, where theinformation about the target network service includes an identifier ofthe target network service and requirement information of the targetnetwork service; obtaining, by the network management unit, anidentifier of a network based on the requirement information of thetarget network service, where the network meets the requirementinformation of the target network service; and configuring, by thenetwork management unit, an association relationship between theidentifier of the target network service and the identifier of thenetwork; or configuring, by the network management unit, the identifierof the target network service in management information of the network;or configuring, by the network management unit, the identifier of thenetwork in management information of the target network service.

The information about the target network service may be informationabout a target network, the requirement information of the targetnetwork service may be requirement information of the target network,and the network may be a network slice, a network slice subnet, or asubnet. This is not limited. The network management unit may configurean association relationship between the identifier of the target networkservice and the identifier of the network by maintaining the associationrelationship between the identifier of the target network service andthe identifier of the network.

Based on the foregoing implementation, the network management unit mayassociate the target network service with the network. Because thetarget network service is a service carried in the network, differentservices carried in the network can be well distinguished in a scenarioin which the network carries a plurality of services, therebyimplementing dynamic management by the network management unit on thedifferent services carried in the network.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation,obtaining, by the network management unit, information about a targetnetwork service includes: receiving, by the network management unit, anetwork management request; and obtaining the information about thetarget network service from the network management request, where thenetwork management request carries the information about the targetnetwork service. Additionally, the network management request includesany one of the following requests: a network creation request, a networkallocation request, a network modification request, a network servicemigration request, or a network activation request.

It should be noted that when the network management request is thenetwork service migration request, and the network service migrationrequest is used to request to migrate the target network service from asource network to a destination network, the network management requestfurther carries an identifier of the source network and an identifier ofthe destination network.

With reference to the first aspect or the possible implementation of thefirst aspect, in another possible implementation, obtaining, by thenetwork management unit, an identifier of a network based on therequirement information of the target network service includes: when anexisting network meets a requirement of the target network service,obtaining, by the network management unit, an identifier of the existingnetwork that meets the requirement of the target network service; orcreating, by the network management unit based on the requirementinformation of the target network service, a network that meets therequirement information of the target network service, and allocating anidentifier to the network.

In this way, the network management unit can use the existing availablenetwork or create the new network as the network in this solution, andallocate the identifier to the network.

With reference to any one of the first aspect or the possibleimplementations of the first aspect, in another possible implementation,the method further includes configuring, by the network management unit,the requirement information of the target network service in themanagement information of the network.

In this way, the network management unit can configure the requirementinformation of the target network service in the management informationof the network, to specify a specific requirement of the service carriedin the network.

With reference to any one of the first aspect or the possibleimplementations, in another possible implementation, the identifier ofthe target network service is used to identify a network requirement ofa service, and the identifier of the target network service includes butis not limited to any one of the following: a network requestidentifier, a tenant identifier, a service identifier, a tenant serviceidentifier, a network service requirement information identifier, anetwork requirement information identifier, network slice selectionassistance information, or a network service management informationidentifier. The network service requirement information identifier maybe alternatively a network requirement information identifier.

With reference to any one of the first aspect or the possibleimplementations, in another possible implementation, the method furtherincludes: determining, by the network management unit, requirementinformation of at least one network slice subnet service based on therequirement information of the target network service; and allocating,by the network management unit to each of the at least one network slicesubnet service, an identifier of the network slice subnet service.

In this way, the requirement information of the target network servicecan be split into the requirement information of the at least onenetwork slice subnet service, to carry the target network service in aplurality of network slice subnets.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation, in anotherpossible implementation, the method further includes configuring, by thenetwork management unit, an association relationship between theidentifier of the network slice subnet service and the identifier of thetarget network service.

In this way, the network management unit can associate a network sliceservice with the network slice subnet service, to specify a specificnetwork slice subnet service included in the network slice service.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides anetwork management unit, including an obtaining module configured to:obtain information about a target network service, where the informationabout the target network service includes an identifier of the targetnetwork service and requirement information of the target networkservice; and obtain an identifier of a network based on the requirementinformation of the target network service, where the network meets therequirement information of the target network service. The networkmanagement unit further includes an association module configured to:configure an association relationship between the identifier of thetarget network service and the identifier of the network; or configure,by the network management module, the identifier of the target networkservice in management information of the network; or configure, by thenetwork management module, the identifier of the network in managementinformation of the target network service.

For an implementation of the network management unit, refer to behaviorand a function of the network management unit in the network servicemanagement method provided in the first aspect or the possibleimplementations of the first aspect. Details are not described hereinagain. Therefore, with the network management unit provided in thisaspect, a same beneficial effect as that in the first aspect can beachieved.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides anetwork management unit. The network management unit is capable ofimplementing a function performed by the network management unit in thefirst aspect. The function may be implemented by hardware, or may beimplemented by hardware by executing corresponding software. Thehardware or the software includes one or more modules corresponding tothe function.

In a possible design, a structure of the network management unitincludes a processor and a communications interface. The processor isconfigured to support the network management unit in performing thecorresponding function in the foregoing method. The communicationsinterface is configured to support communication between the networkmanagement unit and another network element. The network management unitmay further include a memory. The memory is configured to be coupled tothe processor. The memory stores a program instruction and data that arenecessary for the network management unit.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides acomputer storage medium configured to store a computer softwareinstruction used by the foregoing network management unit, where thecomputer software instruction includes a program used to perform thesolution in the foregoing aspect.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides acomputer program product. The program product stores a computer softwareinstruction used by the foregoing network management unit, and thecomputer software instruction includes a program used to perform thesolution in the foregoing aspect.

According to an aspect, an embodiment of this application provides anapparatus. The apparatus exists in a product form of a chip. A structureof the apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory isconfigured to be coupled to the processor, and stores a programinstruction and data that are necessary for the apparatus. The processoris configured to execute the program instruction stored in the memory,to enable the apparatus to perform a function corresponding to a networkmanagement unit in the foregoing method.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment of this application providesa network service management method, including: obtaining, by a networkmanagement unit, requirement information of a target network service;creating, by the network management unit, management information of thetarget network service, where the management information of the targetnetwork service includes an identifier of the management information ofthe target network service; and associating, by the network managementunit, the management information of the target network service with anetwork, where the network meets the requirement information of thetarget network service. The requirement information of the targetnetwork service is requirement information of a target network slice,and that the network meets the requirement information of the targetnetwork service may be alternatively described as that the network meetsthe requirement information of the target network slice. Associating, bythe network management unit, the management information of the targetnetwork service with a network may be alternatively described asconfiguring, by the network management unit, a relationship between theidentifier of the management information of the target network serviceand an identifier of the network.

Based on the foregoing implementation, the network management unit mayassociate the management information of the target network service withthe network. Because the requirement information of the target networkservice is configured in the management information of the targetnetwork service, and the target network service is a service carried inthe network, different services carried in the network can be welldistinguished in a scenario in which the network carries a plurality ofservices, thereby implementing dynamic management by the networkmanagement unit on the different services carried in the network.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation,obtaining, by a network management unit, requirement information of atarget network service includes: receiving, by the network managementunit, a network management request; and obtaining the requirementinformation of the target network service from the network managementrequest, where the network management request carries the requirementinformation of the target network service, and the network managementrequest includes any one of the following requests: a network creationrequest, a network allocation request, a network modification request, anetwork service migration request, or a network activation request. Inthis possible implementation, the requirement information of the targetnetwork service may be replaced with the requirement information of thetarget network slice.

It should be noted that when the network management request is thenetwork service migration request, and the network service migrationrequest is used to request to migrate the target network service from asource network to a destination network, the network management requestfurther carries an identifier of the source network and an identifier ofthe destination network.

In this way, the requirement information of the target network servicecan be carried in the network management request and sent to the networkmanagement unit, thereby improving information sending security.

With reference to the possible implementation of the second aspect, inanother possible implementation, receiving, by the network managementunit, a network management request includes receiving, by the networkmanagement unit, the network management request from a servicemanagement unit. Correspondingly, the method further includes returning,by the network management unit, the identifier of the managementinformation of the target network service to the service managementunit.

With reference to the second aspect or the possible implementations ofthe second aspect, in another possible implementation, beforeassociating, by the network management unit, the management informationof the target network service with a network, the method furtherincludes determining, by the network management unit, the network basedon the requirement information of the target network service.Alternatively, this may be described as follows: Before configuring, bythe network management unit, a relationship between the identifier ofthe management information of the target network service and anidentifier of the network, the method further includes determining, bythe network management unit, the network based on the requirementinformation of the target network slice.

With reference to any one of the second aspect or the possibleimplementations of the second aspect, in still another possibleimplementation, associating, by the network management unit, themanagement information of the target network service with a networkincludes: configuring, by the network management unit, a relationshipbetween the identifier of the management information of the targetnetwork service and an identifier of the network; or configuring, by thenetwork management unit, the identifier of the management information ofthe target network service; or configuring, by the network managementunit, the identifier of the management information of the target networkservice and the requirement information of the target network service inmanagement information of the network.

With reference to any one of the second aspect or the possibleimplementations of the second aspect, in still another possibleimplementation, the method further includes allocating, by an allocationmodule, the identifier to the management information of the targetnetwork service, where the identifier of the management information ofthe target network service is used to identify the managementinformation of the target network service.

With reference to any one of the second aspect or the possibleimplementations of the second aspect, in still another possibleimplementation, the identifier of the target network service includesany one of the following identifiers: a network request identifier, atenant identifier, a service identifier, a tenant service identifier, anetwork service requirement information identifier, a networkrequirement information identifier, or a network service managementinformation identifier. The network service requirement informationidentifier may be alternatively described as a network slice requirementinformation identifier.

According to another aspect, an embodiment of this application providesa network management unit, including: an obtaining module configured toobtain requirement information of a target network service, where therequirement information of the target network service is requirementinformation of a target network slice; a determining module configuredto create management information of the target network service, wherethe management information of the target network service includes therequirement information of the target network service; an allocationmodule configured to allocate an identifier of the managementinformation of the target network service, where the identifier of themanagement information of the target network service is used to identifythe management information of the target network service; and anassociation module configured to associate the management information ofthe target network service with a network, where the network meets therequirement information of the target network service, or this may bedescribed as that the network meets the requirement information of thetarget network slice.

For an implementation of the network management unit, refer to behaviorand a function of the network management unit in the network servicemanagement method provided in the second aspect or the possibleimplementations of the second aspect. Details are not described hereinagain. Therefore, with the network management unit provided in thisaspect, a same beneficial effect as that in the second aspect can beachieved.

According to another aspect, an embodiment of this application providesa network management unit. The network management unit is capable ofimplementing a function performed by the network management unit in thesecond aspect. The function may be implemented by hardware, or may beimplemented by hardware by executing corresponding software. Thehardware or the software includes one or more modules corresponding tothe function.

In a possible design, a structure of the network management unitincludes a processor and a communications interface. The processor isconfigured to support the network management unit in performing thecorresponding function in the method in the second aspect. Thecommunications interface is configured to support communication betweenthe network management unit and another network element. The networkmanagement unit may further include a memory. The memory is configuredto be coupled to the processor. The memory stores a program instructionand data that are necessary for the network management unit.

According to another aspect, an embodiment of this application providesa computer storage medium configured to store a computer softwareinstruction used by the foregoing network management unit, where thecomputer software instruction includes a program used to perform thesolution in the foregoing aspect.

According to another aspect, an embodiment of this application providesa computer program product. The program product stores a computersoftware instruction used by the foregoing network management unit, andthe computer software instruction includes a program used to perform thesolution in the foregoing aspect.

According to another aspect, an embodiment of this application providesan apparatus. The apparatus exists in a product form of a chip. Astructure of the apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memoryis configured to be coupled to the processor, and stores a programinstruction and data that are necessary for the apparatus. The processoris configured to execute the program instruction stored in the memory,to enable the apparatus to perform a function corresponding to a networkmanagement unit in the foregoing method.

According to still another aspect, an embodiment of this applicationprovides a network service management system, including a servicemanagement unit and the network management unit according to any one ofthe foregoing aspects or any possible implementation of any one of theforegoing aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a system architectureaccording to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic composition diagram of a network management unitaccording to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a network service management method accordingto an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a network service management method accordingto an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a network service management method accordingto an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are flowcharts of a network service managementmethod according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic composition diagram of another network managementunit according to an embodiment of this application; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic composition diagram of an apparatus according toan embodiment of this application.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following describes implementations in embodiments of thisapplication in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before the technical solutions are described, to facilitateunderstanding of the technical solutions in the embodiments of thisapplication, some terms in the embodiments of this application areexplained.

Network slice: may also be referred to as a network slice instance, andis a combination of network function (NF) and resources that ensure thata bearer service can meet a service level agreement (SLA) requirement.Hard isolation (for example, physical isolation) or soft isolation (forexample, logical isolation) may be performed on these NFs and resourcesbased on different requirements. Each network slice is logicallyindependent. The network slice may include at least a core network (CN),an access network (AN), and a transport network (TN), or may include anyone or two of a CN, an AN, or a TN.

In the embodiments of this application, the network slice is a broadconcept. It may be considered that a conventional network or a dedicatednetwork is also a network slice, or it may be considered that a networkslice subnet is also a network slice.

Network slice subnet: may be referred to as a network slice subnetinstance, and is a combination of network functions and resources thatensure that a bearer service can meet an SLA requirement. Usually, thenetwork slice subnet may be obtained by slicing a network slice, or anetwork slice may be directly used as the network slice subnet.

Tenant: is a user (e.g., an Anaqua user) such as an enterprise, afactory, or a school that uses a network slice or a network slice subnetto implement a service function.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a network architecture may include a servicemanagement unit, a network slice management unit, component managementunits, a transport network domain manager (TN-DM), and network function(NF) units. Data or a signaling message may be transmitted between thecomponent management units using the TN-DM. A plurality of NFs may forma network slice or a network slice subnet.

The service management unit in FIG. 1 may be a service managementfunction (SMF) unit, and is mainly configured to: receive a servicerequirement of a tenant; convert the service requirement into a networkslice requirement; and perform service management. The servicemanagement unit may be deployed in an operation support system (OSS), ormay be deployed outside the OSS. The service management unit may be amanagement or operation system of a third party (such as a tenant). Theservice management unit may be independently deployed, or may beintegrated into a management unit (such as a business support system(BSS), a service management unit, a service orchestration unit, or aservice management and orchestration unit). It should be noted that theservice management unit in FIG. 1 is not limited to being named as theSMF unit, and may be alternatively named as a customer servicemanagement function unit or a communication service management function(CSMF) unit.

The network slice management unit in FIG. 1 may be a network slicemanagement function (NSMF) unit, and mainly includes one or both of anend-to-end network management function and an end-to-end networkorchestration function. The network slice management unit may have someor all of the following functions: end-to-end network management (forexample, network life cycle management, network template management,network fault management, network performance management, and networkconfiguration management), end-to-end network, subnet, and networkfunction mapping, coordination of network resources or sub-SLAs providedby different domains (for example, an access network domain, a corenetwork domain, and a transmission domain), splitting of networkrequirement information into subnet requirement information, andcentralized orchestration on subnets and network resources provided byall subdomains, such that subnets or network functions provided bydifferent subdomains can meet a requirement (for example, an SLArequirement, a key performance indicator (KPI) requirement, and aquality of service (QoS) requirement) of a target service or network.The network slice management unit may be deployed in an OSS, or may bedeployed outside the OSS. The network slice management unit may beindependently deployed, or may be integrated into a management unit(such as a network orchestration unit, a network management andorchestration unit, a service management unit, a service orchestrationunit, a service management and orchestration unit, or a networkfunctions virtualization orchestrator (NFVO)). It should be noted thatthe network slice management unit in FIG. 1 is not limited to beingnamed as an NM, and may be alternatively named as a cross-domainmanagement unit, a cross-domain network slice management unit, a networkmanagement (NM) function unit, or the like.

The component management unit in FIG. 1 may be a domain management (DM)unit, and includes one or both of a subnet management function and asubnet orchestration function. The component management unit may havesome or all of the following functions: domain management (includingsubnet life cycle management (creation, update, and deletion), subnetfault management, subnet performance management, subnet configurationmanagement, and the like), service management (including service lifecycle management, service fault management, service performancemanagement, service configuration management, and the like), and networkresource (for example, NF unit or network element (NE)) coordination,and is used for centralized orchestration. The component management unitmay be deployed in an OSS, or may be deployed outside the OSS. Thecomponent management unit may be independently deployed, or may beintegrated into a management unit (such as a network slice managementunit, a network orchestration unit, a network management andorchestration unit, a network element management unit, a networkfunction management unit, a service management unit, a serviceorchestration unit, a service management and orchestration unit, or anNFVO). It should be noted that the component management unit in FIG. 1is not limited to being named as the DM unit, and may be alternativelynamed as a domain slice management unit, a network slice subnetmanagement unit, or the like.

For example, a subnet managed by the component management unit mayinclude one or more of the following parts: an AN, a CN, and a TN. Whenthe subnet managed by the component management unit includes only theAN, the subnet management unit may be considered as an AN DM. When thesubnet managed by the component management unit includes only the CN,the subnet management unit may be considered as a CN DM. When the subnetmanaged by the component management unit includes the AN and the CN, thesubnet management unit may be considered as a mix DM.

The TN-DM in FIG. 1 includes one or both of a transport networkmanagement function and a transport network orchestration function. TheTN-DM may have some or all of the following functions: transport networkmanagement (including transport network life cycle management (creation,update, and deletion), transport network fault management, transportnetwork performance management, transport network configurationmanagement, and the like). The TN-DM may be deployed in an OSS, or maybe deployed outside the OSS. The TN-DM may be independently deployed, ormay be integrated into a management unit (such as a network slicemanagement unit, a network orchestration unit, a network management andorchestration unit, a component management unit, a network elementmanagement unit, a service management unit, a service orchestrationunit, a service management and orchestration unit, or an NFVO). Itshould be noted that the TN-DM is not limited to the name shown in FIG.1 , and the TN-DM may be alternatively named as a (transport network)subnet management unit, a network slice transport network managementunit, or the like.

It should be noted that FIG. 1 is only an example architectural diagram.In addition to the function nodes shown in FIG. 1 , the networkarchitecture may further include another function node. For example, inaddition to the management units shown in FIG. 1 , the networkarchitecture further includes a network function management (manager)unit. The NF manager unit includes one or all of the followingfunctions: network function life cycle management, network functionfault management, network function performance management, networkfunction configuration management, and the like. In this application, aname of the NF manager is not limited, and may be alternatively anetwork element manager (EM). The NF manager may be deployed in thecomponent management unit. In other words, the component management unitincludes a function of the NF manager. Alternatively, the NF manager maybe deployed independently of the component management unit, and there isa network function management interface between the NF manager and thecomponent management unit.

For example, the service management unit, the network slice managementunit, and the domain management unit in FIG. 1 may be collectivelyreferred to as a network management unit that may include componentsshown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a schematic composition diagram of a networkmanagement unit according to an embodiment of this application. As shownin FIG. 2 , the management unit may include at least one processor 21, amemory 22, a communications interface 23, and a communications bus 24.It should be noted that the device structure shown in FIG. 2 constitutesno limitation on the management unit. The management unit may includemore or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine somecomponents, or have different component arrangements. This is notlimited in this embodiment of this application. The following describesthe components of the management unit in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The processor 21 is a control center of the management unit, and may beone processor, or may be a general name of a plurality of processingelements. For example, the processor 21 may be a central processing unit(CPU), or may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), ormay be configured as one or more integrated circuits implementing theembodiments of this application, for example, one or moremicroprocessors (e.g. digital signal processor (DSP)) or one or morefield programmable gate arrays (FPGA). The processor 21 may performvarious functions of the management unit by running or executing asoftware program stored in the memory 22 and by invoking data stored inthe memory 22.

In implementation, in an embodiment, the processor 21 may include one ormore CPUs, for example, a CPU 0 and a CPU 1 that are shown in FIG. 2 .In implementation, in an embodiment, the management unit may include aplurality of processors, for example, the processor 21 and a processor25 that are shown in FIG. 2 . Each of these processors may be asingle-core (single-CPU) processor, or may be a multi-core (multi-CPU)processor. The processor herein may be one or more devices, circuits,and/or processing cores configured to process data (such as a computerprogram instruction).

The memory 22 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or another type of staticstorage device that can store static information and an instruction, ora random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage devicethat can store information and an instruction, or may be an electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM) or another compact disc storage, an opticaldisc storage (including a compact disc, a laser disc, an optical disc, adigital versatile disc, a Blu-ray disc, and the like), a magnetic diskstorage medium or another magnetic storage device, or any other mediumthat can be used to carry or store expected program code in a form of aninstruction or a data structure and that can be accessed by a computer.However, the memory 22 is not limited thereto. The memory 22 may existindependently, and is connected to the processor 21 using thecommunications bus 24. Alternatively, the memory 22 may be integratedinto the processor 21. The memory 22 is configured to store a softwareprogram for performing the solutions provided in the embodiments of thisapplication, and the processor 21 controls execution of the softwareprogram.

The communications interface 23 is configured to communicate withanother device or a communications network, such as the Ethernet, aradio access network (RAN), or a wireless local area network (WLAN). Thecommunications interface 23 may include a receiving unit forimplementing a receiving function and a sending unit for implementing asending function.

The communications bus 24 may be an industry standard architecture (ISA)bus, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industrystandard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be classifiedas an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, or the like. For ease ofrepresentation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in FIG.2 , but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one typeof bus.

With reference to the communications system shown in FIG. 1 , thefollowing describes in detail a network service management methodprovided in the embodiments of this application. FIG. 3 is a flowchartof a network service management method according to an embodiment ofthis application. As shown in FIG. 3 , the method may include thefollowing steps.

Step 301: A network management unit obtains information about a targetnetwork service.

The network management unit may be the network slice management unit orthe domain management unit in FIG. 1 .

The information about the target network service may be informationabout a network, and may include an identifier of the target networkservice and requirement information of the target network service. Theidentifier of the target network service is used to identify the targetnetwork service, and is used to identify a network requirement of aservice. The identifier of the target network service may include anyone of the following identifiers: a network request identifier, a tenantidentifier, a service identifier, a tenant service identifier, a networkservice requirement information identifier, network slice selectionassistance information, a network service management informationidentifier, a network requirement information identifier, or the like.This is not limited. The network service requirement informationidentifier may be alternatively a network requirement informationidentifier.

The requirement information of the target network service may berequirement information of the network, for example, requirementinformation of a target network slice. The requirement information ofthe target network service may be used to describe a requirement of thetarget network service or a requirement of the network. The requirementinformation of the target network service may include at least one ofthe following information: a quantity of users, area distribution of theusers, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio ofthe users, a use time of the service, a coverage area of the service orthe network, a movement status of the user, a roaming status of theuser, a latency of the network, a bandwidth of the network, a throughputof the network, reliability of the network, a coverage level of thenetwork, or a coverage area of the network.

The user may correspond to a device (such as a terminal device) that canobtain or use a service of the tenant, and the user may be a tenant. Forexample, the terminal device may be a device such as an electricitymeter that records an amount of electricity used by the tenant, and theuser may correspond to the terminal device. For example, the user mayuse the terminal device.

A service requested by the tenant may be a service function performed bya user corresponding to the tenant. For example, the user is anelectricity meter that records an amount of electricity used by thetenant, and the service requested by the tenant may be an electricitymeter reading service.

The quantity of users may be a quantity of users or devices that iscapable of obtaining or using a service of the tenant.

The area distribution of the users may be an area deployment status ofusers or devices that can obtain or use a service of the tenant. Thequantity of users and the area distribution status of the users may becombined as one type of information in service traffic information of anetwork slice. For example, there are 100 users in an area 1 and 200users in an area 2.

The service transmission status of the user may be a service use statusof the user, for example, a time period for sending/receiving theservice by the user, a packet size for sending/receiving the service bythe user, power for sending/receiving the service by the user, and abandwidth size for sending/receiving the service by the user. Forexample, the user is an electricity meter that records an amount ofelectricity used by the tenant, and the service transmission status ofthe user is as follows: The electricity meter sends a packet once a day,and a size of the packet sent each time is 20 M.

The activation ratio of the users may be a ratio of a quantity of usersin an activated state to a quantity of all users, or may be a ratio of aquantity of users in an activated state to a quantity of all users at aspecific moment.

The use time of the service may be a time at which the user uses theservice. For example, the electricity meter reading service is performedon the last day of each month.

The coverage area of the service may be used to indicate a coveragestatus of the service, and may be a coverage level or a coveragescenario of the service. For example, the coverage scenario of theservice is indoor coverage, outdoor coverage, suburban coverage, subwaycoverage, tunnel coverage, or the like. The coverage level of theservice may be strong coverage, normal coverage, weak coverage, or thelike.

The movement status of the user may include at least one of thefollowing statuses: whether the user moves, a quantity of users in amoving state, and a moving level of the user. The moving level of theuser may include one or more of the following: fast, medium-speed, slow,immobile, or the like.

The roaming status of the user may include at least one of the followingstatuses: whether the user roams, quantities of users who may roam atdifferent moments, and the like.

The latency of the network may be a response time of the network. Forexample, a latency of a network is 10 milliseconds (ms).

The bandwidth of the network may be a bandwidth that can be provided bythe network. For example, a bandwidth of a network is 10 megahertz(MHz).

The throughput of the network may be used to describe a data forwardingcapability of the network. For example, a throughput of a network is 100megabits per second (Mbit/s), indicating that the network slice supportstransmission of 100-Mbit data in one second.

The reliability of the network may be used to describe a data forwardingcapability of the network. For example, a throughput of a network is 100megabits per second (Mbit/s), indicating that the network slice supportstransmission of 100-Mbit data in one second.

The coverage level of the network may include a coverage level of anetwork slice, and is used to indicate coverage strength of the network.Herein, the coverage strength may be represented using strong coverage,normal coverage, weak coverage, or the like, or may be represented usingindoor coverage, outdoor coverage, suburban coverage, or the like.

The coverage area of the network may be used to describe a networkcoverage area in which the network is used, for example, Shanghai.

In a possible implementation, the network management unit is the networkslice management unit in FIG. 1 , the target network service is anetwork slice service, the information about the target network serviceis information about the network slice service, the identifier of thetarget network service is an identifier of the network slice service,and the requirement information of the target network service isrequirement information of the network slice service. The network slicemanagement unit receives, from a service management unit, a networkmanagement request that carries the information about the network sliceservice, and obtains the information about the network slice servicebased on the network management request. The information about thenetwork slice service is obtained by the service management unit basedon service requirement information, and the service requirementinformation is requirement information of the service requested by thetenant. For example, when the service requested by the tenant is carriedin one network slice, the service management unit may directly use, asthe identifier of the network slice service, an identifier of theservice requested by the tenant, and the service management unit may usethe service requirement information as the requirement information ofthe network slice service; or when the service requested by the tenantis carried in at least two network slices, the service management unitsplits the service requested by the tenant into at least two networkslice services, splits the service requirement information intorequirement information of the at least two network slice services, andallocates, to each network slice service, an identifier of the networkslice service. It should be noted that the network slice service may bealternatively named as a network slice service management object,network slice requirement information, or the like. This is not limited.

In another possible implementation, the network management unit is thedomain management unit in FIG. 1 , the target network service is anetwork slice subnet service, the information about the target networkservice is information about the network slice subnet service, theidentifier of the target network service is an identifier of the networkslice subnet service, and the requirement information of the targetnetwork service is requirement information of the network slice subnetservice. The domain management unit receives, from a network slicemanagement unit, a network management request that carries theinformation about the network slice subnet service, and obtains theinformation about the network slice subnet service based on the networkmanagement request. The information about the network slice subnetservice is obtained by the network slice management unit based oninformation about a network slice service. For example, when the networkslice service is carried in one network slice subnet, the network slicemanagement unit directly uses an identifier of the network slice serviceas the identifier of the network slice subnet service, and usesrequirement information of the network slice service as the requirementinformation of the network slice subnet service. Alternatively, when thenetwork slice service is carried in at least two network slice subnets,the network slice management unit splits the network slice service intoat least two network slice subnet services, splits requirementinformation of the network slice service into requirement information ofthe at least two network slice subnet services, and allocates, to eachnetwork slice subnet service, an identifier of the network slice subnetservice. It should be noted that the network slice subnet service may bealternatively named as a network slice subnet service management objector the like. This is not limited.

In the foregoing possible implementations, the network managementrequest may include any one of the following requests: a networkcreation request, a network allocation request, a network modificationrequest, a network service migration request, or a network activationrequest.

The network creation request is used to request to create a networkinstance.

The network modification request is used to request to modify a networkinstance. Optionally, when the foregoing request is the networkmodification request, the foregoing request further carries a networkmodification type and/or an identifier of the network. The networkmodification type includes at least one of the following: adding anetwork service, removing a network service, and deleting a networkservice.

The network service migration request is used to request to migrate anetwork service from a source network to a destination network. When thenetwork management request is the network service migration request, andthe network service migration request is used to request to migrate thetarget network service from a source network to a destination network,the network management request further carries an identifier of thesource network and an identifier of the destination network. The sourcenetwork and the target network are relative concepts, the source networkis a network that carries the target network service before a currentmoment, and the target network is a network that carries the targetnetwork service after the current moment. It should be noted that, inthis application, when the target network service is the network sliceservice, a network that carries the target network service is a networkslice, or when the target network service is the network slice subnetservice, a network that carries the target network service is a networkslice subnet.

The network activation request is used to request to activate a networkservice. Optionally, a network slice activation request carries anidentifier of the network.

Step 302: The network management unit obtains the identifier of thenetwork based on the requirement information of the target networkservice, where the network meets the requirement information of thetarget network service.

The network may be a network slice, a network slice subnet, or a subnet.The identifier of the network is used to identify the network, and maybe a number, a letter, or another identifier. This is not limited. Whenthe network management unit is the network slice management unit in FIG.1 , the network is the network slice, and the identifier of the networkis an identifier of the network slice. When the network management unitis the domain management unit in FIG. 1 , the network is the networkslice subnet, and the identifier of the network is an identifier of thenetwork slice subnet.

In a possible implementation, when an available network that meets therequirement of the target network service exists in existing networks,the network management unit selects, from the existing networks, theavailable network that meets the requirement of the network service,obtains an identifier of the available network, and uses the identifierof the available network as the identifier of the network in step 302.

Selecting, from the existing networks, the available network that meetsthe target network service may mean that when a network (a network sliceor a network subnet) that meets the requirement information of thetarget network service exists in the existing networks, or when anetwork that can be modified (for example, expanded) to meet therequirement information of the target network service exists in theexisting networks, or when the network management unit receives amessage used to instruct to reuse a network in the existing networks,the network management unit selects the available network from theexisting networks.

In another possible implementation, when no network that meets therequirement information of the target network service exists in theexisting networks, the network management unit creates a network basedon the requirement information of the target network service, uses thecreated new network as the network in step 302, and allocates anidentifier to the network.

That the network management unit creates a network may mean that thenetwork management unit combines available network resources (includingat least one of the following information: network functions andtransmission resources) in the existing networks into the network tomeet the requirement information of the target network service.

Step 303: The network management unit configures an associationrelationship between the identifier of the target network service andthe identifier of the network, or the network management unit configuresthe identifier of the target network service in management informationof the network, or the network management unit configures the identifierof the network in management information of the target network service.

That the network management unit configures an association relationshipbetween the identifier of the target network service and the identifierof the network may mean that the network management unit maintains theassociation relationship between the identifier of the target networkservice and the identifier of the network, or that the networkmanagement unit correspondingly stores the identifier of the targetnetwork service and the identifier of the network.

That the network management unit configures the identifier of the targetnetwork service in management information of the network may mean thatthe network management unit stores the identifier of the target networkservice in the management information of the network, where themanagement information of the network may be information indicating thenetwork.

That the network management unit configures the identifier of thenetwork in management information of the target network service may meanthat the network management unit correspondingly stores the identifierof the network in the management information of the target networkservice, where the management information of the target network servicemay be the information about the target network service and is used toindicate the target network service.

In a possible implementation, the target network service is a networkslice service, the network is a network slice, and the networkmanagement unit is the network slice management unit in FIG. 1 . In thiscase, step 303 may be replaced with the following: The network slicemanagement unit configures an association relationship between anidentifier of the network slice service and an identifier of the networkslice, or the network slice management unit configures the identifier ofthe network slice service in management information of the networkslice, or the network slice management unit configures the identifier ofthe network slice in management information of the network sliceservice.

In another possible implementation, the target network service is anetwork slice subnet service, the network is a network slice subnet, andthe network management unit is the domain management unit in FIG. 1 . Inthis case, step 303 may be replaced with the following: The domainmanagement unit configures an association relationship between anidentifier of the network slice subnet service and an identifier of thenetwork slice subnet, or the domain management unit configures theidentifier of the network slice subnet service in management informationof the network slice subnet, or the domain management unit configuresthe identifier of the network slice subnet in management information ofthe network slice subnet service.

Compared with other approaches, in the solution shown in FIG. 3 , thenetwork management unit may associate the target network service withthe network. Because the target network service is a service carried inthe network, different services carried in the network can be welldistinguished in a scenario in which the network carries a plurality ofservices, thereby implementing dynamic management by the networkmanagement unit on the different services carried in the network.

Optionally, in the solution shown in FIG. 3 , the method furtherincludes configuring, by the network management unit, the requirementinformation of the target network service in the management informationof the network, such that requirement information of a service carriedin the network can be well determined.

Optionally, when the network management unit is the network slicemanagement unit in FIG. 1 , and the target network service is a networkslice service, the method further includes: determining, by the networkmanagement unit, requirement information of at least one network slicesubnet service based on the requirement information of the targetnetwork service; and allocating, by the network management unit to eachof the at least one network slice subnet service, an identifier of thenetwork slice subnet service.

When the network management unit determines that the target networkservice can be split into the at least one network slice subnet, thenetwork management unit determines the requirement information of thetarget network service as the requirement information of the at leastone network slice subnet service.

Further, after allocating, by the network management unit to each of theat least one network slice subnet service, an identifier of the networkslice subnet service, the method further includes configuring, by thenetwork management unit, an association relationship between theidentifier of the network slice subnet service and the identifier of thetarget network service.

Compared with other approaches, in the solution shown in FIG. 3 , thetarget network service may correspond to the network slice subnetservice, to better determine a plurality of network slice subnetservices included in the target network service.

The following describes the solution shown in FIG. 3 in detail using anexample in which the network management unit is the network slicemanagement unit in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 shows another network servicemanagement method according to an embodiment of this application. Themethod is performed by the units shown in FIG. 1 through interaction,and the method may include the following steps.

Step 401: A service management unit receives a service managementrequest.

The service management request carries service requirement information,and the service requirement information includes at least one of thefollowing information: a quantity of users, area distribution of theusers, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio ofthe users, a use time of a service, a coverage area of the service or anetwork, a movement status of the user, a roaming status of the user, alatency of the network, a bandwidth of the network, a throughput of thenetwork, reliability of the network, a coverage level of the network, ora coverage area of the network. For a detailed description of theservice requirement information, refer to the description of therequirement information of the target network service in the solutionshown in FIG. 3 . Details are not described herein again.

Optionally, the service management unit receives the service managementrequest sent by a tenant.

Step 402: The service management unit determines information about anetwork slice service based on the service requirement information.

The information about the network slice service includes an identifierof the network slice service and requirement information of the networkslice service. When the service is carried in one network slice, onenetwork slice service is created, an identifier of the network sliceservice is allocated, and an attribute of the network slice service isset, that is, requirement information of the network slice service isconfigured on the network slice service. When the service is carried ina plurality of network slices, the service requirement information issplit into requirement information of a plurality of network sliceservices, identifiers of the network slice services are allocated, andattributes of the network slice services are set, that is, requirementinformation of the network slice services is configured on the networkslice services.

Step 403: The service management unit sends a network slice managementrequest to a network slice management unit.

The network slice management request may carry the information about thenetwork slice service, and the network slice management request may bethe network management request in the solution shown in FIG. 3 . Detailsare not described herein again.

Step 404: The network slice management unit determines a network slicethat meets the requirement information of the network slice service, andassociates the network slice service with the network slice.

The network slice management unit may use an existing available networkslice or create a new network slice to meet the requirement informationof the network slice service.

That the network slice management unit associates the network sliceservice with the network slice may include: configuring, by the networkslice management unit, an association relationship between theidentifier of the network slice service and an identifier of the networkslice, or configuring, by the network slice management unit, theidentifier of the network slice service in management information of thenetwork slice; or configuring, by the network slice management unit, theidentifier of the network slice in management information of the networkslice service. This process is the same as step 303 in the solutionshown in FIG. 3 . Details are not described herein again.

Step 405: The network slice management unit determines requirementinformation of at least one network slice subnet service based on therequirement information of the network slice service, and allocates, toeach of the at least one network slice subnet service, an identifier ofthe network slice subnet service.

When the network slice service is carried in one network slice subnet ofthe network slice, one network slice subnet service is created, anidentifier of the network slice subnet service is allocated, and anattribute of the network slice subnet service is set, that is,requirement information of the network slice subnet service isconfigured for the network slice subnet service. When the network sliceservice is carried in a plurality of network slice subnets of thenetwork slice, the requirement information of the network slice serviceis split into requirement information of a plurality of network slicesubnet services, the plurality of network slice subnet services arecreated, identifiers of the network slice subnet services are allocated,and attributes of the network slice subnet services are set, that is,corresponding requirement information of the network slice subnetservices is configured on the network slice subnet services.

Step 406: The network slice management unit sends a network slice subnetmanagement request to a domain management unit.

The network slice subnet management request may carry information aboutthe network slice subnet service (the identifier of the network slicesubnet service and requirement information of the network slice subnetservice). The network slice management request may be the networkmanagement request in the solution shown in FIG. 3 . Details are notdescribed herein again.

Step 407: The domain management unit determines a network slice subnetthat meets the requirement information of the network slice subnetservice, and associates the network slice subnet service with thenetwork slice subnet.

The domain management unit may use an existing available network slicesubnet or create a new network slice subnet to meet the requirementinformation of the network slice subnet service.

That the domain management unit associates the network slice subnetservice with the network slice subnet may include: configuring, by thedomain management unit, an association relationship between theidentifier of the network slice subnet service and an identifier of thenetwork slice subnet; or configuring, by the domain management unit, theidentifier of the network slice subnet service in management informationof the network slice subnet; or configuring, by the domain managementunit, the identifier of the network slice subnet in managementinformation of the network slice subnet service. This process is thesame as step 303 in the solution shown in FIG. 3 . Details are notdescribed herein again.

In another feasible solution, the network management unit mayalternatively obtain only requirement information of a target networkservice, and create management information of the target network servicebased on the obtained requirement information of the target networkservice. Optionally, the network management unit may further allocate anidentifier of the management information of the target network serviceto the target network service, set an attribute of the managementinformation of the target network service, that is, configure therequirement information of the target network service in the managementinformation of the target network service, and after determining anetwork that carries the target network service, associate themanagement information of the target network service with the network,where the identifier of the management information of the target networkservice is used to uniquely identify the management information of thetarget network service. For this solution, refer to FIG. 5 .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of another network service management methodaccording to an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG. 5 , themethod may include the following steps.

Step 501: A network management unit obtains requirement information of atarget network service.

The network management unit may be the network slice management unit orthe domain management unit in FIG. 1 .

The requirement information of the target network service may berequirement information of a network, for example, may be requirementinformation of a target network slice. The requirement information ofthe target network service may be used to describe a requirement of thetarget network service or a requirement of the network. The requirementinformation of the target network service may include at least one ofthe following information: a quantity of users, area distribution of theusers, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio ofthe users, a use time of the service, a coverage area of the service orthe network, a movement status of the user, a roaming status of theuser, a latency of the network, a bandwidth of the network, a throughputof the network, reliability of the network, a coverage level of thenetwork, or a coverage area of the network. For the requirementinformation of the target network service, refer to the relateddescription of the requirement information of the target network servicein the solution shown in FIG. 3 . Details are not described hereinagain.

In a possible implementation, the network management unit is the networkslice management unit in FIG. 1 , the target network service is anetwork slice service, and the requirement information of the targetnetwork service is requirement information of the network slice service.The network slice management unit receives, from a service managementunit, a network management request that carries the requirementinformation of the network slice service, and obtains the requirementinformation of the network slice service based on the network managementrequest. The requirement information of the network slice service isobtained by the service management unit based on service requirementinformation, and the service requirement information is requirementinformation of a service requested by a tenant. For example, when theservice requested by the tenant is carried in one network slice, theservice management unit directly uses the service requirementinformation as the requirement information of the network slice service.Alternatively, when the service requested by the tenant is carried in atleast two network slices, the service management unit splits the servicerequested by the tenant into at least two network slice services, andsplits the service requirement information into requirement informationof the at least two network slice services. It should be noted that thenetwork slice service may be alternatively named as a network sliceservice management object, network slice requirement information, or thelike. This is not limited.

In another possible implementation, the network management unit is thedomain management unit in FIG. 1 , the target network service is anetwork slice subnet service, and the requirement information of thetarget network service is requirement information of the network slicesubnet service. The domain management unit receives, from a networkslice management unit, a network management request that carries therequirement information of the network slice subnet service, and obtainsthe requirement information of the network slice subnet service based onthe network management request. The requirement information of thenetwork slice subnet service is obtained by the network slice managementunit based on requirement information of a network slice service. Forexample, when the network slice service is carried in one network slicesubnet, the network slice management unit directly uses the requirementinformation of the network slice service as the requirement informationof the network slice subnet service; or when the network slice serviceis carried in at least two network slice subnets, the network slicemanagement unit splits the network slice service into at least twonetwork slice subnet services, and splits the requirement information ofthe network slice service into requirement information of the at leasttwo network slice subnet services. It should be noted that the networkslice subnet service may be alternatively named as a network slicesubnet service management object or the like. This is not limited.

In the foregoing possible implementations, the network managementrequest may include any one of the following requests: a networkcreation request, a network allocation request, a network modificationrequest, a network service migration request, or a network activationrequest. For the network management request, refer to the relateddescription of the network management request in the solution shown inFIG. 3 . Details are not described herein again.

Step 502: The network management unit creates management information ofthe target network service.

The management information of the target network service includes anidentifier of the management information of the target network service,the identifier of the management information of the target networkservice is used to uniquely identify the management information of thetarget network service, and the requirement information of the targetnetwork service is configured in the management information of thetarget network service. That the network management unit createsmanagement information of the target network service includesconfiguring, by the network management unit, the requirement informationof the target network service in the management information of thenetwork service.

Step 503: The network management unit associates the managementinformation of the target network service with the network.

The network meets the requirement information of the target networkservice. When the target network service is a network slice service, thenetwork is a network slice. When the target network service is a networkslice subnet service, the network is a network slice subnet.

That the network management unit associates the management informationof the target network service with the network includes: configuring, bythe network management unit, a relationship between the identifier ofthe management information of the target network service and anidentifier of the network; or configuring, by the network managementunit, the identifier of the management information of the target networkservice in management information of the network; or configuring, by thenetwork management unit, the identifier of the management information ofthe target network service and the requirement information of the targetnetwork service in the management information of the network.

Compared with other approaches, in the solution shown in FIG. 5 , thetarget network service may correspond to the network slice subnetservice, to better determine a plurality of network slice subnetservices included in the target network service.

Optionally, in the solution shown in FIG. 5 , before step 503, themethod further includes determining, by the network management unit, thenetwork that meets the target network service. For example, the networkmanagement unit may determine, from existing available networks, thenetwork that meets the target network service. Alternatively, thenetwork management unit deploys a new network to meet the requirementinformation of the target network service.

Optionally, in the solution shown in FIG. 5 , the method furtherincludes allocating, by the network management unit, the identifier tothe management information of the target network service, where theidentifier of the management information of the target network serviceis used to identify the management information of the target networkservice. Additionally, the identifier of the management information ofthe target network service may include but is not limited to any one ofthe following identifiers: a network request identifier, a tenantidentifier, a service identifier, a tenant service identifier, a networkservice requirement information identifier, a network requirementinformation identifier, or a network service management informationidentifier. This is not limited. Management information of differenttarget network services corresponds to different identifiers. Thenetwork service requirement information identifier may be alternativelydescribed as a network slice requirement information identifier.

After allocating the identifier of the management information of thetarget network service, the network management unit further returns theidentifier of the management information of the target network service.For example, when the network management unit is the network slicemanagement unit in FIG. 1 , the network management unit returns theidentifier of management information of the target network service tothe service management unit. Alternatively, when the network managementunit is the domain management unit in FIG. 1 , the network managementunit returns the identifier of the management information of the targetnetwork service to the network slice management unit.

The following describes the solution, shown in FIG. 5 , in detail usingan example in which the network management unit is the network slicemanagement unit in FIG. 1 . FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are flowcharts of stillanother network service management method according to an embodiment ofthis application. The method is performed through interaction by theunits shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the method mayinclude the following steps.

Step 601: A service management unit receives a service managementrequest.

The service management request carries service requirement information,and the service requirement information includes at least one of thefollowing information: a quantity of users, area distribution of theusers, a service transmission status of a user, an activation ratio ofthe users, a use time of a service, a coverage area of the service or anetwork, a movement status of the user, a roaming status of the user, alatency of the network, a bandwidth of the network, a throughput of thenetwork, reliability of the network, a coverage level of the network, ora coverage area of the network. For a detailed description of theservice requirement information, refer to the description of therequirement information of the target network service in the solutionshown in FIG. 3 . Details are not described herein again.

Optionally, the service management unit receives the service managementrequest sent by a tenant.

Step 602: The service management unit determines requirement informationof a network slice service based on the service requirement information.

When the service is carried in one network slice, the service managementunit determines the service requirement information as the requirementinformation of the network slice service. When the service is carried inat least two network slices, the service management unit splits theservice requirement information into requirement information of at leasttwo network slice services.

Step 603: The service management unit sends a network slice managementrequest to a network slice management unit.

The network slice management request may carry the requirementinformation of the network slice service, and the network slicemanagement request may be the network management request in the solutionshown in FIG. 3 . Details are not described herein again.

Step 604: The network slice management unit creates managementinformation of the network slice service, allocates an identifier to themanagement information of the network slice service, and configures therequirement information of the network slice service in the managementinformation of the network slice service.

The identifier of the management information of the network sliceservice may include two parts: an identifier and an index number of anetwork slice. Alternatively, the identifier of the managementinformation of the network slice service may include only the indexnumber. This is not limited. For example, when a network slice A carriesa network slice service 1, the identifier of the management informationof the network slice service may be network slice A+network sliceservice 1, or may be the network slice service 1.

Step 605: The network slice management unit associates the network slicewith the management information of the network slice service, andreturns the identifier of the management information of the networkslice service.

The network slice management unit may further return the identifier ofthe management information of the network slice to the servicemanagement unit, such that the service management unit is clear aboutthe network slice service carried in the network slice.

That the network slice management unit associates the network slice withthe management information of the network slice service may include:configuring, by the network slice management unit, an associationrelationship between the identifier of the management information of thenetwork slice service and the identifier of the network slice; orconfiguring, by the network slice management unit, the identifier of themanagement information of the network slice service in managementinformation of the network; or configuring, by the network slicemanagement unit, the identifier of the management information of thenetwork slice service and the requirement information of the targetnetwork service in the management information of the network.

Step 606: The network slice management unit splits the requirementinformation of the network slice service into requirement information ofa network slice subnet service.

When the network slice service is carried in one network slice subnet,the network management unit uses the requirement information of thenetwork slice service as the requirement information of the networkslice subnet service. When the network slice service is carried in atleast two network slice subnets, the network management unit splits therequirement information of the network slice service into requirementinformation of at least two network slice subnet services.

Step 607: The network slice management unit sends the requirementinformation of the network slice subnet service to a domain managementunit.

Step 608: The domain management unit creates management information ofthe at least one network slice subnet service, allocates an identifierto the management information of the network slice subnet service, andconfigures the requirement information of the network slice subnetservice in the management information of the network slice subnetservice.

Step 609: The domain management unit associates a network slice subnetwith the management information of the network slice subnet service, andreturns the identifier of the management information of the networkslice subnet service.

That the domain management unit associates a network slice subnet withthe management information of the network slice subnet service mayinclude: configuring, by the domain management unit, an associationrelationship between the identifier of the management information of thenetwork slice subnet service and an identifier of the network slicesubnet; or configuring, by the domain management unit, the identifier ofthe management information of the network slice subnet service inmanagement information of the network slice subnet; or configuring, bythe domain management unit, the identifier of the management informationof the network slice subnet service and the requirement information ofthe network slice subnet in the management information of the networkslice subnet, or the like.

Step 610: The network slice management unit manages the network slicesubnet service and the network slice service.

That the network slice management unit manages the network slice subnetservice and the network slice service may mean that the network slicemanagement unit correspondingly stores the network slice subnet serviceand the network slice service.

The solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are mainlydescribed above from a perspective of interaction between nodes. It canbe understood that to implement the foregoing functions, each node suchas the network management unit includes a corresponding hardwarestructure and/or software module for implementing each function. Aperson skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with theexamples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification,algorithm steps can be implemented in a form of hardware or acombination of hardware and computer software in this application.Whether a function is performed by hardware or hardware driven bycomputer software depends on particular applications and designconstraints of the technical solutions. A person skilled in the art mayuse different methods to implement the described functions for eachparticular application, but it should not be considered that theimplementation goes beyond the scope of this application.

In the embodiments of this application, the network management unit maybe divided into function modules based on the foregoing method examples.For example, the function modules may be obtained through division basedon corresponding functions, or two or more functions may be integratedinto one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented ina form of hardware, or may be implemented in a form of a softwarefunction module. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of thisapplication, the module division is an example, and is merely logicalfunction division. In actual implementation, there may be anotherdivision manner.

When the function modules are obtained through division based oncorresponding functions, FIG. 7 is another possible schematiccomposition diagram of a network management unit. The network managementunit may be configured to perform a function of the network managementunit in the foregoing embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7 , the networkmanagement unit may include an obtaining module 70, an associationmodule 71, a determining module 72, and an allocation module 73.

The obtaining module 70 is configured to support the network managementunit in performing step 301, step 302, step 403, step 501, and step 603.

The association module 71 is configured to support the networkmanagement unit in performing step 303, step 503, and step 605.

The determining module 72 is configured to support the networkmanagement unit in performing step 405 and step 502.

The allocation module 73 is configured to support the network managementunit in performing step 405, step 502, and step 604.

It should be noted that all related content of the steps in theforegoing method embodiments can be incorporated into functiondescriptions of corresponding function modules by reference. Details arenot described herein again. The network management unit provided in thisembodiment of this application is configured to perform the foregoingnetwork service management method, and therefore can achieve a sameeffect as the foregoing network service management method.

When an integrated unit is used, FIG. 8 shows an apparatus. Theapparatus exists in a product form of a chip and is configured toperform a function of the network management unit in the foregoingembodiments. As shown in FIG. 8 , the apparatus may include a processingmodule 80 and a communications module 81.

The processing module 80 is configured to control and manage an actionof the apparatus. For example, the processing module 80 is configured tosupport the apparatus in performing step 303, step 503, step 605, step405, step 502, step 405, step 502, and step 604, and/or is configured toperform another process of the technology described in thisspecification. The communications module 81 is configured to supportcommunication between the apparatus and another network entity, forexample, communication with the service management unit or a networkentity shown in FIG. 1 . The apparatus may further include a storagemodule 82, configured to store program code and data of the apparatus.

The processing module 80 may be a processor or a controller. Theprocessing module 80 may implement or execute various example logicalblocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to contentdisclosed in this application. Alternatively, the processor may be acombination implementing a computing function, for example, acombination including one or more microprocessors, or a combination of aDSP and a microprocessor. The communications module 81 may be acommunications interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like. Thestorage module 82 may be a memory.

When the processing module 80 is a processor, the communications module81 is a communications interface, and the storage module 82 is a memory,the apparatus in this embodiment of this application may be theapparatus shown in FIG. 2 .

The foregoing descriptions of the implementations allow a person skilledin the art to understand that, for the purpose of convenient and briefdescription, division of the foregoing function modules is used as anexample for illustration. In actual application, the foregoing functionscan be allocated to different function modules for implementation basedon a requirement, that is, an inner structure of an apparatus is dividedinto different function modules to implement all or some of thefunctions described above.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should beunderstood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented inother manners. For example, the described apparatus embodiments aremerely examples. For example, the module or unit division is merelylogical function division. In actual implementation, there may beanother division manner. For example, a plurality of units or componentsmay be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or some featuresmay be ignored or not performed. In addition, the displayed or discussedmutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may beimplemented using some interfaces. The indirect couplings orcommunication connections between the apparatuses or units may beimplemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physicallyseparate, and parts displayed as units may be one or more physicalunits, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed in aplurality of different places. Some or all of the units may be selectedbased on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutionsin the embodiments.

In addition, function units in the embodiments of this application maybe integrated into one processing unit, or each of the units may existalone physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.The integrated unit may be implemented in a form of hardware, or may beimplemented in a form of a software function unit.

When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a softwarefunction unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integratedunit may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such anunderstanding, the technical solutions in the embodiments of thisapplication essentially, or the part contributing to other approaches,or all or some of the technical solutions may be implemented in a formof a software product. The software product is stored in a storagemedium and includes several instructions for instructing a device (whichmay be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, or the like) or a processorto perform all or some of the steps of the methods described in theembodiments of this application. The foregoing storage medium includesany medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, aremovable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.

The foregoing descriptions are merely example implementations of thisapplication, but are not intended to limit the protection scope of thisapplication. Any variation or replacement within the technical scopedisclosed in this application shall fall within the protection scope ofthis application. Therefore, the protection scope of this applicationshall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: obtaining, by a networkmanagement apparatus, information about a network slice, wherein theinformation about the network slice comprises requirement information ofthe network slice and an identifier for the requirement information ofthe network slice, wherein the requirement information of the networkslice comprises a moving level of a user, and wherein obtaining theinformation about the network slice further comprises: receiving, by thenetwork management apparatus, a network management request; andobtaining the information about the network slice from the networkmanagement request, wherein the network management request carries theinformation about the network slice, and wherein the network managementrequest further comprises: a network creation request, a networkallocation request, a network modification request, a network servicemigration request, or a network activation request; obtaining, by thenetwork management apparatus, an identifier of a network slice instancebased on the requirement information of the network slice, wherein thenetwork slice instance meets the requirement information of the networkslice; and configuring, by the network management apparatus, therequirement information of the network slice in management informationof the network slice instance.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein receiving the network management request comprises receiving, bythe network management apparatus, the network management request from aservice manager.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtainingthe identifier of the network slice instance based on the requirementinformation of the network slice comprises: obtaining, by the networkmanagement apparatus, an identifier of an existing network sliceinstance when the existing network slice instance meets the requirementinformation of the network slice; or creating, by the network managementapparatus based on the requirement information of the network slice, anetwork slice instance that meets the requirement information of thenetwork slice, and allocating an identifier to the network sliceinstance.
 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingconfiguring, by the network management apparatus, the identifier for therequirement information of the network slice in the managementinformation of the network slice instance, wherein the requirementinformation of the network slice further includes at least one of anetwork slice coverage area, a quantity of users, or a network latency,and wherein the network slice coverage area is for describing a coveragearea in which the network slice instance is used.
 5. A system formanaging network service, comprising: a service manager comprising afirst processor and a first non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium configure to store instructions to be executed by the firstprocessor to cause the service manager to send a network managementrequest; and a network manager comprising a second processor and asecond non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured tostore second instructions to be executed by the second processor tocause the network manager to: receive the network management requestfrom the service manager; obtain information about a network slice fromthe network management request, wherein the information about thenetwork slice comprises requirement information of the network slice andan identifier for the requirement information of the network slice,wherein the requirement information of the network slice comprises amoving level of a user, wherein obtaining the information about thenetwork slice further comprises obtaining the information about thenetwork slice from the network management request, wherein the networkmanagement request carries the information about the network slice, andwherein the network management request further comprises: a networkcreation request, a network allocation request, a network modificationrequest, a network service migration request, or a network activationrequest; obtain an identifier of a network slice instance based on therequirement information of the network slice, wherein the network sliceinstance meets the requirement information of the network slice; andconfigure the requirement information of the network slice in managementinformation of the network slice instance.
 6. The system according toclaim 5, wherein the network manager is configured to obtain theidentifier of the network slice instance based on the requirementinformation of the network slice by: obtaining an identifier of anexisting network slice instance when the existing network slice instancemeets the requirement information of the network slice; or creatingbased on the requirement information of the network slice, a networkslice instance that meets the requirement information of the networkslice, and allocating the identifier to the network slice instance. 7.The system according to claim 5, wherein the network manager is furtherconfigured to configure the identifier for the requirement informationof the network slice in the management information of the network sliceinstance, wherein the requirement information of the network slicefurther includes at least one of a network slice coverage area, aquantity of users, or a network latency, and wherein the network slicecoverage area is for describing a coverage area in which the networkslice instance is used.
 8. A network management apparatus, comprising: aprocessor; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storinginstruction to be executed by the processor to cause the networkmanagement apparatus to: obtain information about a network slice,wherein the information about the network slice comprises requirementinformation of a target network service and an identifier for therequirement information of the network slice, wherein the requirementinformation of the network slice comprises a moving level of a user, andwherein obtaining the information about the network slice furthercomprises: receiving a network management request; and obtaining theinformation about the network slice from the network management request,wherein the network management request carries the information about thenetwork slice, and wherein the network management request furthercomprises: a network creation request, a network allocation request, anetwork modification request, a network service migration request, or anetwork activation request; obtain an identifier of a network sliceinstance based on the requirement information of the network slice,wherein the network slice instance meets the requirement information ofthe network slice; and configure the requirement information of thenetwork slice in management information of the network slice instance.9. The network management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein thenetwork management apparatus is configured to obtain the identifier ofthe network slice instance based on the requirement information of thenetwork slice by: obtaining an identifier of an existing network sliceinstance when the existing network slice instance meets the requirementinformation of the network slice; or creating, based on the requirementinformation of the network slice, the network slice instance that meetsthe requirement information of the network slice, and allocating theidentifier to the network slice instance.
 10. The network managementapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the network management apparatusis further configured to configure the identifier for the requirementinformation of the network slice in the management information of thenetwork slice instance, wherein the requirement information of thenetwork slice further includes at least one of a network slice coveragearea, a quantity of users, or a network latency, latency, and whereinthe network slice coverage area is for describing a coverage area inwhich the network slice instance is used.
 11. A method, comprising:sending, by a service manager, information about a network slice to anetwork management apparatus, wherein the information about the networkslice comprises requirement information of the network slice and anidentifier for the requirement information of the network slice, whereinthe requirement information of the network slice comprises a movinglevel of a user; receiving, by the network management apparatus, theinformation about the network slice, wherein receiving the informationabout the network slice further comprises: receiving, by the networkmanagement apparatus, a network management request; and obtaining theinformation about the network slice from the network management request,wherein the network management request carries the information about thenetwork slice, and wherein the network management request furthercomprises: a network creation request, a network allocation request, anetwork modification request, a network service migration request, or anetwork activation request; obtaining, by the network managementapparatus, an identifier of a network slice instance based on therequirement information of the network slice, wherein the network sliceinstance meets the requirement information of the network slice; andconfiguring, by the network management apparatus, the requirementinformation of the network slice in management information of thenetwork slice instance.
 12. The method according to claim 11, whereinobtaining the identifier of the network slice instance based on therequirement information of the network slice comprises: obtaining, bythe network management apparatus, an identifier of an existing networkslice instance when the existing network slice instance meets therequirement information of the network slice; or creating, by thenetwork management apparatus based on the requirement information of thenetwork slice, a network slice instance that meets the requirementinformation of the network slice, and allocating an identifier to thenetwork slice instance.
 13. The method according to claim 11, whereinthe network management apparatus is further configured to configure theidentifier for the requirement information of the network slice in themanagement information of the network slice instance, wherein therequirement information of the network slice includes at least one of anetwork slice coverage area, a quantity of users, or a network latency,and wherein the network slice coverage area is for describing a coveragearea in which the network slice instance is used.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the moving level of the user includesimmobile.
 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving levelof the user includes immobile.
 16. The system according to claim 5,wherein the moving level of the user includes immobile.
 17. The networkmanagement apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the moving level ofthe user includes immobile.